Cassia reached for the faucet to rinse off the frying pan
she’d been scrubbing, the one she’d cooked the meat and
sauce in, and as she turned on the tap, she realized she wasn’t
aiming it properly and the spray rocketed off the frying pan,
hit it with far too much force, and sprayed all over Adalynn.
Adalynn shrieked, backing up and putting up her hands, but
then she threw back her head and giggled and it was so
magical, and she was so beautiful, with beads of water
clinging to her chin and her cheeks and the sweet curl of her
nose, that Cassia laughed too and directed the nozzle fully at
Adalynn, so that the stream of water soaked her. She moved it
down, soaking her neck and her chest through the plaid shirt
she was wearing.
“Oh my God!” Adalynn laughed and shrieked again. “That’s
freezing!”
Cassia realized she’d turned on the cold alone and quickly
shut it off. She went to put the tap back in place, but Adalynn
grabbed for it.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Adalynn cranked the tap and turned
the nozzle on Cassia. She was shocked at how cold the water
was when it hit her, even though it took a few seconds to soak
through the sweater she had on. Adalynn kept going, wild with
the nozzle so that even though Cassia dodged out of the way,
she got a face full of cold water.
“Hey!” she screamed lightheartedly. She tried to wrestle the
nozzle away from Adalynn, but she held it tightly and Cassia
only succeeded in getting wetter. “Oh my God! Uncle! Or
mercy! Or whatever it is. I tap out. I’m done. That’s frigid!”
Adalynn relented and shut off the tap before the whole
kitchen was soaked. She was focused with that and didn’t see